The present invention relates to an electrical connector for a contact-type smart card, also called an electronic memory card or chip card. The invention relates more particularly to a connector used for connecting the card to read/write circuits belonging to an electronic apparatus or equipment, such as, for example, a GSM-type mobile telephone, or a communication terminal, with which the connector is fitted.
According to the various known designs of such cards, most of which are standardized, the card is of rectangular general shape and has, on its lower face, contact pads which can engage contacts of a connector which are connected to read/write circuits of the electronic equipment. In the case of xe2x80x9cchipxe2x80x9d cards, the contact pads are grouped in a block of adjacent pads. The dimensions of the block are large, compared with the block of conducting pads of the standardized card type named xe2x80x9cSIMxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cMICROSIMxe2x80x9d, etc. In the case of a card having a high memory capacity, such as a card called a xe2x80x9cMEMORYGARDxe2x80x9d the conducting pads are grouped together in a series of parallel adjacent pads which extend as far as a transverse edge of the card.
In a large number of applications, the card is put manually into the use position in the connector, and therefore in the equipment with which it is associated. That is, the equipment does not include means for transferring the card between a position for manually loading the card into a carriage or slide-in unit, and the card-contacting position. In many arrangements, the card is inserted manually, directly into a connector cavity, in a longitudinal insertion direction parallel to the general plane of the card.
Arrangements are also known in which the card is put into position vertically in the housing by moving it upward perpendicular to its general plane. In this case, the space available above the housing of the connector must be at least equal to the longitudinal and lateral dimensions of the card and a fixed or moveable locking device, forming part of the electronic apparatus, allows the card to be locked in position in the connector.
Finally, connector designs are known in which the connector includes a hinged cap which has a cavity in which the user puts the card into position before closing the cap in order to bring the card into the contact position. In this case, the card is inserted xe2x80x9cobliquelyxe2x80x9d so as to be inclined in a direction making an angle with respect to the horizontal plane of the base or support of the connector which carries the conducting elements. In order to be able to open the cap of the connector, this approach also requires there to be a sufficient space around and above the connector.
In all the cases that have just been mentioned, the overall size of the connector can be reduced to its minimum, but it remains necessary to have a large space around or above the connector to allow the card to be inserted, and in all cases, the space to be provided around the connector is greater, at least in one direction, than the corresponding dimension of the card.
In order to solve this problem, a design has been proposed, in which the card is inserted downwards, by presenting it at an incline. This design minimizes the total size of the connector, and the necessary space above the connector. However, it requires the user to bring the card into a precise position and the user must push on the card to insert it. Also, if the user does not continue pushing, the card remains in its inclined position and the telephone cannot be used.
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, an electrical connector is provided for a contact-type smart card, which facilitates card insertion by enabling the user to easily view the card-receiving cavity in a compact and low cost design. The connector includes a support having a card-receiving cavity. The cavity is arranged so a smart card is installed by orienting the card at a downward incline with a first of its long sides lowermost. The card is inserted so the first long side lies against a recessed rear side of the cavity, the card then being tilted down to a horizontal position.
A card hold-down includes a sheet metal cover with a rear side pivotally connected to the rear side of the support and a front side that can latch to the front side of the support. The cover can be slideable, as well as pivotal, so it can be slid toward the front side of the support after the cover has been pivoted down, to latch the cover closed. The cover can have longitudinally opposite ends bent at right angles to form mount tabs that mount on the support.
According to other characteristics of the invention:
the guiding edge is close to the first of the edges of the housing;
the first of the edges of the housing forms a stop against which a corresponding first edge of the card bears while the card is being put into the contact position;
the stop edge is elastically deformable in a horizontal direction perpendicular to this edge in order to make the card bear elastically against an opposed parallel second edge of the housing;
the bottom of the housing formed in the insulating support includes a recess which lies along the said stop edge and which receives said first edge of the card when putting the latter in position by sliding and pivoting it along the guiding edge;
the bottom of the recess is offset vertically downwards with respect to the bearing plane of the card in the horizontal contact position;
the connector has a plurality of electrical conductors in the form of elastically deformable blades which lie parallel to the said first of the edges of the housing and each of which has a curved first end for contact with a corresponding pad on the card, which pad projects vertically upwards from the bottom of the housing;
the card is rectangular and the guiding edge is parallel to the length of the complementary rectangular housing;
the connector includes at least one fixed tab for retaining the card in the housing which lies horizontally parallel to the bottom of the housing and in a cantilever fashion above the latter from the said first of the edges of the housing;
the guiding edge forms part of the said retaining tab;
the guiding edge forms part of an element attached to the insulating support;
the connector includes means for retaining the card in the contact position in the housing, which means lie at least partly above the upper face of the card;
the connector includes retractable means for retaining the card in the contact position in the housing, which means, In the card-retaining position, lie at least partly above the upper face of the card;
the retractable retaining means have an attached element which is mounted so as to move with respect to the insulating support between a retracted position allowing the card to be inserted for the purpose of putting it in the contact position in the housing and a position for retaining the card in the contact position in which a part of the moveable retaining element lies above the upper face of the card;
in the card-retaining position, a part of the moveable retaining element lies above a peripheral part of the upper face of the card near a second edge of the card which is opposite the said first edge of the card;
the attached moveable retaining element is mounted so as to move translationally with respect to the insulating support along a horizontal direction perpendicular to said first of the edges of the housing;
the attached moveable retaining element is a flap which is mounted so as to be hinged to the support about a horizontal axis and which, in the retaining position, lies horizontally above the housing which it at least partly covers;
the flap is mounted so as to be hinged to the support about an axis parallel to said first of the edges of the housing;
the flap is mounted so as to be hinged to the insulating support about an axis which is close to said first of the edges of the housing, between a retracted position in which the flap lies more or less vertically and its horizontal card-retaining position, and the guiding edge is part of the flap;
the hinge axis of the flap is located between said first edge and the opposed parallel second edge of the housing and, when the flap is in its retracted extreme angular position, the edge for guiding the card is offset vertically upwards with respect to the hinge axis of the flap and is located between the said first edge of the housing and the hinge axis;
the flap includes means which, when the flap is in the retracted position, bold the card in a position substantially adjacent to the internal face of the flap, and closing the flap causes the card to be inserted into the housing and then put into the contact position by sliding and pivoting along the said edge;
the said holding means allow the card to tilt with respect to the flap until it reaches an intermediate position in which the upper face of the card bears against the guiding edge;
the holding means consist of at least one pair of opposed holding tabs which lie along the edges of the card which are perpendicular to said first of the edges of the housing and which engage with facing portions of the lower face of the card;
the moveable retaining element is elastically returned to its card-retaining position;
the moveable flap is elastically returned to its retracted position and means are provided for locking the flap in its position for retaining the card;
the locking means are means for automatically locking the flap when the latter reaches its card-retaining position;
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent on reading the detailed description which follows, for the understanding of which reference will be made to the appended drawings in which: